Overview
- Ukraine’s reform drive won praise, but the Commission reported only limited anticorruption progress and rising state pressure on watchdogs, tying a late‑2028 talks‑completion goal to faster rule‑of‑law changes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the findings.
- Serbia received a formal warning over democratic backsliding, with concerns about excessive force against protesters, corruption, poor transparency, and a significant slowdown in reforms.
- Georgia was assessed as having deteriorated drastically, with erosion of the rule of law and curbs on fundamental rights prompting Brussels to label it a candidate “in name only” and urge the ruling party to change course.
- Montenegro was credited with significant progress and identified as on track to conclude accession negotiations by the end of 2026 if the current reform momentum is maintained.
- The package covering 10 candidates arrives in a largely stalled enlargement environment, with French-led calls for EU institutional changes and veto use by Hungary and Slovakia slowing decisions, as the Commission explores a trial period for future entrants.